Misguided Ghosts
by playingwithmischief
Summary: What happens when you put a brittle diabetic, a scientist, and a jealous boss together? Obviously bad things. Bruce Banner x OC, jealous Tony.
1. Chapter 1

**__****Hello everyone, I know this is a totally out of the blue story but I was thinking about it and planning it out for a long time. I know I'm not the best writer out there, but if you would please tell me what you think about it, it would be so greatly appreciated but please, no flames. Also, I'm not very sure if I'm going to make this a T rated story for long, so the ratings may change. I hope you like it. Drop some reviews and tell me what you think! -playingwithmischief **

**Chapter One**

Taking the last sip of my water, I stood up from the seat in my office that was parked behind my desk. It was about time for me to head on home but I felt that if I didn't wait for Tony, then a lot of people would be down my throat. Tony Stark, the man behind the great metal suit was my boss and I was his assistant. Normally, Tony would be back from his meetings by the time the sun was setting but today was a whole different story. The sun had been down for hours and he still wasn't back.

I huffed and looked out the large windows in my office that overlooked the whole city, the lights bright and the cars passing by quickly. I took my phone out of my pocket and looked at the time, huffing with annoyance; it was almost 9 o'clock. I heard a beep come from my office phone, on the caller I.D., the call came from Tony's mansion, I picked the phone up and opened my mouth to chew Tony out but it turned out to be Jarvis, the AI Tony created; he was like a butler of some sort.

"So sorry to bother you Miss Terrance but it's time to check your glucose levels," Jarvis said, his thick English accent meeting my ears through the phone.

"Oh, thank you Jarvis, I would have forgotten if you hadn't told me," I sighed, my mind still racing on the fact that my boss was missing. Such an idiot.

I reached into my beige tote and rummaged through it to find my testing kit, the carpeted floor under my feet trembling slightly. I stopped moving, suddenly hearing a crash outside and what sounded like explosions. I got up and raced to the window and saw a red and yellow flying object, "well, it looks like I found my boss."

I kept my eyes focused on what was happening outside, my eyes following another flying individual but all I could see was his red cape. Finally, I could see where the crashing was coming from; it was a large green mutant thing. I gasped when he jumped onto the building right in front of my office. What in the world was going on?

I heard roaring and more explosions, the glass on my windows cracking from the uproar. I silently prayed that the windows wouldn't break and leave me to deal with whatever was going on outside. With my bad luck though, the glass would break in the knick of time and render me a moron for even praying that the glass wouldn't break when it probably would at any moment. I listened closely as I heard a large crash and even felt it. Each large rumble was getting bigger and bigger, like there was something climbing up the building, and then I remembered that the green monster was more than capable of that. I got up fast, my knees getting rug burned; I really didn't want to be in the path of the monster if it really was climbing on the Stark building.

I went to pick my bag up and run, though as the monster moved on the building, it made me stumble and fall onto my knees, though I quickly regained my composure and kept running until I reached the stairs to get to the parking garage. I quickly made my way down the stairs, my high heels clicking on each stair loudly. My heart raced and my breathing was erratic as I reached my car; a cute little black Mazda RX-8. I opened the front door and threw my bag onto the passenger seat, climbing in so I could get to Tony's mansion and ask him what in the hell was going on.

"I'm so glad the parking garage is on the other side of the building," I said, starting my car and racing out of the garage.

While on the road, I began to feel faint from the lack of sugar in my body, my stomach churning uncomfortably. I reached Tony's house in a matter of minutes with my speed driving, pulling into his driveway and getting out quickly so I could finally get my blood sugar steadied and wait for the moron that had me nearly terrified when he wasn't back at the company on time. I punched in the code to the garage door where you could basically call it Tony's little man cave. Jarvis greeted me, telling me that it was probably best if I just sat down while one of the bots got me something to raise my blood sugar.

I sat at Stark's glass desk where his monitors and tinkering equipment was, his chair was more than comforting; I could fall asleep in it. I felt my eyes get heavier and heavier as the bot came to give me something to eat; soon, I was dead asleep.

* * *

"Well damn, I didn't expect little Ronan to be waiting up for me like a little wife would." Tony crossed his arms, his dirty face showing a slight amusement.

"Stark, is she okay?" A tanned man asked, pulling his wired glasses off and running a hand through his slightly graying hair.

A small group gathered around the sleeping blonde woman, a concerned look on Stark's face now. Ronan wouldn't normally wait up this long for him, not in a million years. The graying man took the small wrist that belonged to Ronan; her heart rate was abnormally slow for any healthy human being.

"Tony, does she have any medical conditions that could be of concern?" The graying man named Bruce Banner asked.

"Dammit Ronan…" Tony grumbled, picking up the beige bag that was lying on the floor next to the desk, rummaging through it to find her testing kit.

"She's diabetic?" Bruce asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Not just diabetic, she's brittle," Tony said, handing the kit to a red haired woman as he held the testing meter in his hand, the lancet in his other.

Tony pricked Ronan's finger, a small bead of blood seeping out of the wound; she didn't even wake from the prick. Tony sighed and collected the blood into the strip, the monitor beeping, indicating that Ronan's blood sugar levels were dangerously low.

"Ronan, Ronan, you have to wake up and eat something," Tony shook her shoulder violently.

* * *

I felt someone shaking me awake, which made me pretty angry because I was pretty tired. I opened my eyes slowly and sat up, the bright lights burning my eyes. I was surrounded by a group of men and one woman, whom I thought was Pepper but this woman had more curves and curly hair. I grumbled as Tony helped me up from the seat, my bare feet meeting the cold concrete of his man cave.

"Ronnie, what in the hell were you thinking letting your sugar get this low?"

"I was waiting for you to get home so I could chew you out since you don't have Pepper anymore," my voice was low. "Where the hell were you? I waited for two hours back at the office only to be greeted by smashing and explosions and oh wait… A flying Tony!"

"I understand that-"

"You could have called me so I could have gone home," I began to walk up the stairs into his living room. He was going to be the death of me… Literally.

* * *

I sat on Tony's couch in my yoga pants and sweatshirt, curled up in a blanket. He wasn't letting me go home after my sugar had been so low. I was surrounded by the crowd of people still, things getting slightly awkward since I had no clue who they were, besides Natasha. Tony walked into the living room sporting a Black Sabbath t-shirt and jeans, holding a huge bowl of ice cream topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and sprinkles, with a waffle cone sticking out of the sweet concoction. Tony handed me the bowl of ice cream, giving me the "you-better-eat-this-now-or-so-help-me-God" face. I ate the ice cream slowly, my mouth becoming numb from the coldness. I blinked and looked at Tony," well, it would be nice if I had some introductions; it's getting pretty awkward just sitting here and not saying a word," I finally broke the silence.

"Ah, right. Ronnie, this is Steve Rogers, Clint Burton, Thor, and Bruce Banner; you already know our Natasha here."

"Nice to meet you all, I'm Ronan Terrance."

They all waved and said "hello" at the same time.

I still sat there pretty awkwardly," okay, give it up you all, I know I saw you guys in that fight downtown."

"Oh, our little Ronnie does have a knack at pointing things out," Tony sat back in his seat, his legs spread apart. I glared at him, causing him to raise his arms in the air with innocence. "Ronnie is completely innocent, she can't even carry a stack of papers; she won't do any harm to you guys.

"Are you all a part of that Avengers thing Tony and Fury are always talking about?" I sat up excitedly.

"Yes Ronnie, we all a-,"

"Shut up Stark, I'm asking them."

"Yes, we all are Ronnie, but you have to keep it down low, okay?" Natasha said, her arms crossed as she stood next to the sitting Clint.

"I promise," I motioned my hand in a zip across my mouth.

"Isn't she just adorable? I knew I got the perfect little assistant when I got her," Tony rolled over to me in his chair and ruffled my already tousled blonde hair.

Blowing strands of hair out of my face, I went back to eating my ice cream, pouting slightly. Can you still classify a twenty four year old as adorable?


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter to my story, it's slightly longer too. I hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I do writing it; make sure you drop a review too, they make me happy. Enjoy! -playingwithmischief _  
**

**Chapter Two**

All of the Avengers had left, well, all but one, Bruce Banner. I snuggled up in my blanket, my bodyweight against the arm of the white leather sofa as Tony and Bruce walked around the mansion, talking about how they should get "cracking" on the new project they had. I huffed and shut my eyes so I could sleep; I couldn't go home anyways. I could hear the two go down to the garage, their voices becoming faint as I snuggled into the couch and blanket more. I felt bad about just leaving my cats home alone for a night without feeding them but I'm pretty sure they would do just fine without a feeding. Fat cats.

* * *

I opened my eyes to the unforgiving sun showing through the large windows in Tony's living room. I sat up, stretching my arms and legs out while letting a content noise slip through my mouth in doing so. I was so comfortable but I also had places to be and people to see. Well, in this case, not really people but animals; two of them. I got up from my spot on the white leather couch and looked around," no signs of intelligence around, might as well leave now before it's too late," I mumbled to myself.

I picked my bag up and quietly made my way down to the garage where I could finally make my escape. Reaching the bottom step to where the garage was, I stopped at the glass security door Tony installed originally to keep Pepper out but she had found out the code in a matter of minutes. Never use your birthday as your passcode; it's obvious and just plain old stupid. I punched the code in quickly, motioning Jarvis to keep silent while I made my way out of the mansion. Looking around, I couldn't see if anyone was still down here but I could really care less at the moment, staying at Tony's was torture. He treated me like I was too sick to take care of myself.

"Good morning," I heard a soft yet stern voice; it wasn't Tony's.

I turned around, taking notice of the man behind Tony's work station. I grumbled lowly, hoping that Bruce didn't hear me," good morning… did you sleep last night?"

"What's sleep?" Bruce said jokingly, taking his glasses off as he pushed the seat out a little from the desk.

"I'm assuming you're not much of a sleeper," I crossed my arms, soon realizing that I said the most idiotic thing ever.

Bruce chuckled, taking notice to the face I made after I asked him the lame question. I walked over to where he sat, looking him up and down. He was a pretty handsome man; nice toned body. He had dark curled hair and chocolate brown eyes. Hm, if he wasn't a superhero then was he the scientist of the team; the brains? He certainly looked like it.

"What is Tony making you do?" I asked, looking at the monitors that held blueprints to a large mechanism that I had seen Tony looking at a few times before, but he shooed me away before I could ask what it was.

"Ah…" Bruce trailed on slowly.

"He told you not to tell me; it's okay, I'm used to it," I felt a goofy smile contort onto my face.

"I'm not sure if you would understand it either; it's pretty complex stuff."

"Yeah, I'm sure my brain would explode. I'm a history major, not some science brainiac."

Bruce laughed softly at my remark, soon going silent. I stood there and felt my face get hot with all of the awkward air surrounding me," maybe you should get some sleep or something to eat?"

"I'll be fine, thank you though," Bruce smiled kindly, indicating that he would rather work than do anything else.

"Jarvis, tell Tony I'm dragging his scientist out to eat, he'll be back later."

"Will do Miss Terrance; would you like me to search for a café?" Jarvis asked, his accent making me smile slightly.

"That won't be necessary but thank you Jarvis."

I walked behind Tony's desk, grabbing Bruce's arm and yanking him to get up; he was pretty solid. Bruce chuckled and got up, admitting defeat as I guided him through the garage and out the back door to where my car was parked. I let go of him and unlocked my car, getting into the driver's seat and starting the car. Bruce got situated into my small car, his height proving that the car was a bit too small for his comfort. He seemed pretty tense.

"You don't mind if I check on my cats and get changed do you?" I asked, turning my wheel slightly to make my way out of the driveway.

"Ah, no… Not at all," Bruce said in a sort of stutter.

* * *

It was quite the awkward and quiet drive to my apartment so turning on music was the best resort; Paramore playing in the background. It was a good fifteen minute drive to my apartment from Stark's mansion and a thirty minute ride from the company tower.

Pulling into my apartment's parking garage, I parked in my usually spot, stopping the car and turning it off. Getting out of the car, Bruce stood there waiting for me. I motioned for him to come along and he followed behind, stopping when I stopped at the elevator. Stepping into the elevator, I pushed my floor button, stepping back where Bruce was.

"So what brings the Avengers to assemble here now?" I asked, my head tilted slightly.

"Well, since it's not Loki this time, we don't have to worry too much. It's a secret army controlling mechanical suits of armor. They have a team of ruthless scientists that won't stop at anything until they get the secrets to Tony's suit," Bruce explained, running a hand through his hair

"They're going to have to get through a crap ton of vaults to get Tony's blueprints."

"Precisely, but as I said before, they won't stop at anything. Not even if it means kidnapping or raiding personal files, or houses."

I gulped slightly at what Bruce told me, feeling a bit scared that one day, according to my luck, I would be the one to get kidnapped. The elevator came to a stop, the doors opening so we could get out. Walking down the small hallway, I pulled my house keys out of my bag, unlocking my door quickly so my cats wouldn't pummel us as soon as the door opened. I motioned for Bruce to come in quickly before the two fur balls could jump off of the light fixtures on the ceiling and onto him. I could hear the two boys mewling with happiness, rushing over to me and Bruce.

I picked the big boned Russian Grey up, cuddling him to my face, giving him a big kiss on his cheek," the white and orange Persian is Bartholomew, Bart for short and the Russian Grey I have in my arms is Mac."

"Bart and Mac?" Bruce laughed.

"Yes indeed," I laughed.

I left Bruce to entertain my two strange cats as I got changed into my casual look, rather than formal like I did while working for Tony. Walking around my room, I pulled out a cream colored cropped sweater that hung loosely around my torso and a pair of faded skinny jeans with my old slip on Vans. Getting into the outfit as quickly as I could, I could hear Bruce laughing and the cats running around. Putting my hair up into a loose bun, a few blonde locks fell out, framing around my face as I made my way down the black metal, swirling staircase and into my living room.

Bruce was throwing toy mice around for the two big boned cats, the boys running back and forth and playfully attacking each other. I couldn't help but laugh at how silly the two cats were acting; I've never seen them so active. I could hear the familiar tune ringing from my phone; I quickly made my way to my bag and fished it out quickly, answering it.

"Yes Tony?" I smirked.

"Your little date is over, get your skinny little but back to my mansion," Tony said in an annoyed tone; he just woke up.

"As long as you get us breakfast."

"Get your butt over here and I'll think about it."

I hung the phone up and sighed," Tony wants us back at his mansion."

Tony was hovering over me as I sat at his bar, eating a glazed donut and sipping a coffee; he thought he was scaring me. I huffed and set the coffee down, along with my delicious donut," I was just going to take Bruce out for breakfast, no big deal."

"Dr. Banner sweetheart… And I think you just dragged him along without him even saying a word."

"I was fine with-, "Bruce began to say.

"He was completely fine with it; besides, you weren't up," I argued, crossing my arms and legs.

"Not the point princess. You see, Bruce has a knack for getting angry pretty easily and going berserk, so it's not so much of a good idea to take him outside," Tony tried to say in an angry hushed voice.

"What do you mean, Starky?"

"Don't call me that- Anyways, haven't you realized it yet? Banner is The Hulk; he gets angry and turns into him. I don't need you getting hurt."

"He's completely harmless around me, no worries Papa Bear."

"Oh, I have the right to send you into timeout, don't push me."

"I'm terrified Stark," I rolled my eyes playfully.

Stark pointed his finger at me as he walked away, sipping his cup of coffee. Bruce followed him into the garage, leaving me lonely. I might as well finish Stark's paperwork while I was here since today wasn't a mandatory office day.

I sat at Stark's bar table, organizing and fixing all of the mistakes he made while filling the papers out; he was terrible at paperwork. I still wonder to this day how Pepper kept him in line for so long. I grumbled and crossed out numerous things that Tony had written, most of what he wrote was smartass comments. I could hear the garage doors opening downstairs, the familiar sound of the Iron Man suit reaching my ears. I got up quickly and made my way to the balcony he had built onto the living room. Opening the sliding glass doors quickly, I saw Tony zoom by faster than my eyes could pick up, the same green monster thing I saw last night hopping from building to building, trying to keep up with Tony's suit.

"Dammit Tony!" I yelled in annoyance, my hair flying out of my bun from the huge breeze of air rushing by.

I felt my phone vibrate, a text showing on my screen.

"Papa Bear and Brucey have some work to do downtown, see you in a jiff."

Maybe I shouldn't be so mad at him; he did notify me… Though it was a little late. I was just hoping he would be back in time before his luncheon with some rich people he had ties with.

* * *

Sitting around was my least favorite thing to do, especially when Tony was out and about probably acting cocky. He always thought of himself as the best hero in the world. Sure, he was brilliant but he was only strong and semi invincible when he had his suit on. My mind then strayed to Bruce Banner, who was a mutant and was impossibly strong. I didn't know much about The Hulk though, so I couldn't really compare sticks when it came to Tony and Bruce. I huffed and got up, my heart nearly jumping when I heard a crash downstairs.

I ran fast and hard down the garage stairs, punching in the code and opening the glass door. I made a face when I saw the familiar two men sitting on the floor. Tony motioned for me to stay back, though I wanted to get closer, just to see if they were okay. Tony got up and took me by the arm gently while pushing me with him.

"He's kind of naked after his escapades," Tony whispered.

"Are you two okay?" I asked, searching over Tony for any signs of injury.

"We're fabulous Mother Bird; now let's leave Bruce to calm down."

Tony followed me up the stairs, my head swimming with worry. Tony was always the one to keep his injuries to himself and as for Bruce, he could be hurt and Tony wasn't even telling me.

"Tony, is Bruce alright though? You just kind of pushed me out of the way before telling me anything."

"I didn't see anything, nor did he say that he was hurt."

"You're really of no help."

I huffed with annoyance and made my way into Tony's very large kitchen. Reaching up to get the tea kettle from the pot rack on the ceiling, I filled it up with water, searching through the cabinets for chamomile tea. I leaned against the counter and waited for the kettle to whistle, Tony giving me a strange look.

"I don't want any tea."

"It's not for you, Loser. It's for Bruce to calm down."

The kettle whistled, indicating that he water was hot and steaming. I took it off of the stove and poured some water into a cup, putting a tea bag into it. I set it on a small tea cup plate, putting onto a small platter with a toasted bagel with cinnamon cream cheese on it. Tony just kept looking at me as I worked around his kitchen, which was pretty weird.

I walked down the stairs of the garage, holding the plate in one arm as I put in the passcode. The door unlocked. Making a sound, I pushed the door open with my hip, making my way over to a very tired looking Bruce Banner.

"Not looking so hot, Doc," I smirked, letting the silver platter down gently.

Bruce couldn't help but chuckle as I handed him the tea," you're very hospitable, thank you."

"I've always been the kind to worry about someone, even when I don't know them well."

He sipped his tea and let out a content sigh. I looked him over, taking notice of a small knick on his arm that was bleeding slowly, though not terribly. I made a face and searched through Tony's desk drawers; I knew I left my first aid kit here for him, though he probably never used it. I opened the small grey box and fished out an antiseptic wipe and bandages. Bruce stared intensely, not knowing what was going on as I rummaged pretty savagely through the kit.

"You have a cut that's bleeding, it could get infected," I chuckled. He probably thought I looked stupid, which I probably did.

I took his arm gently, my eyes glued to the bleeding cut. I wiped the blood away carefully, hoping I wasn't hurting him or anything. He felt tense as I touched him, I didn't mind though, it was weird having someone poke and probe at you. I looked up slightly, taking notice that he was looking at what I was doing as I cleaned his cut. I stopped wiping at his cut with the wipe, looking it over to see if there were any first signs of infection.

"You're so thorough, it's not that terrible of a cut," he chuckled, taking his arm back and looking at it.

"Wait; don't touch it until the band aid is on!" I freaked out, reaching my hand out to get his arm.

I put the band aid on quickly, smiling at my work.

"I rather like the neon pink band aid."

"I knew you would," I laughed.

Bruce sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or what to say.

"So, tell me about yourself Dr. Banner."

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything, like, how old you are, where you were born, why you became a scientist."

"Well, I was born in Dayton, Ohio. I'm 36. I graduated from Caltech with a PhD in nuclear physics because well, science is amazing; you never stop learning from it."

I smiled at how he was opening up, though it was only just a little bit. I was kind of glad because I had a feeling he would be around for quite some time working with Tony and the Avengers. Bruce went on telling me about himself, how he studied various things, even his own blood at times, though I can see why because of his mutation. He had mentioned somewhere in his talk about how his father had an experiment with gamma rays that affected his genes and made him the way he was.

Bruce's face dropped when he mentioned his mother's name; Rebecca.

"She was the greatest person ever; I loved her so much… But my father was jealous of that, so he killed her, right in front of me," Bruce's face was contorted with sadness.

"That's so terrible; I'm so sorry Bruce… Dr. Banner."

"You can just call me Bruce you know, I feel kind of old when people call me Doctor," he chuckled lightly.

"Thank you for being so open with me Bruce, if you ever have something troubling you, or if you just want to talk, don't be afraid to talk to me; I'm harmless, as Tony mentioned before," I laughed. "I would tell you some stuff about myself but Tony won't leave me alone with all of his texts," I got up and put a hand on his shoulder, soon making my way back up the stairs to Tony.


	3. Chapter 3

**_This is a totally crap chapter, but I will definitely make the next one much longer and funner to read. I aim to make this story amusing at first as you can see and then it's going to change drastically; but that's all I'm going to give away for now. I hope you all are enjoying this story so far. I'm not totally confident in it yet but I have a lot more to add on later; it is quite boring right now. I'm really loving how you all are giving me so many alerts to my little iPhone's email, I really appreciate it. Enjoy!_  
**

**Chapter Three**

I groaned in exhaustion as I stood by the counter of a dry cleaning store; Tony wanted me to get all of his suits and good clothes tailored and cleaned before he went on vacation to France; leaving me behind of course. He made sure I got up right when the clock struck 5am, which was way too early to do anything to begin with. I stood there reading an article about the team of super heroes who I had come to know over the passed few weeks. I tried talking to Bruce… Or Dr. Banner; Tony always seemed to drag me away as soon as I started talking to the scientist, which made me a bit upset, I liked talking to Bruce.

I grumbled noisily as a text came through on my phone, indicating it was from Tony. He wanted to have lunch soon at the Japanese steakhouse he had come to love after I had introduced him to it. The tanned man that had been keeping Tony's clothes came out from behind the curtain, holding the pile unsteadily in his arms. I slid the ticket on the glass counter, the man handing me the clothes pile. I almost wanted to cry as I carried it to my car, it was extremely heavy and some of the clothes were reluctant to fall. I opened the trunk to my car, laying all of the tailored and cleaned suits nicely into it. I sighed and straightened my lazy day outfit out; a pair of yoga pants with a cropped sweatshirt. I hopped into my car and started it, my phone vibrating as I was about to take off to the restaurant.

"Yes Tony?" I answered, holding the iPhone to my cheek with my shoulder as I turned the steering wheel.

"We're still doing lunch oh; did you get my dry cleaning?" Tony said lazily.

"Don't get your panties in a knot; I got the dry cleaning just like you wanted."

"Attitude, young lady," I could just imagine Tony's finger wiggling.

I gave a low growl and ended the call, making my way to the steakhouse so I could finally eat something. Pulling into the parking lot of a plaza where the steakhouse was, I parked right next to Tony's overpriced silver car, scoffing when he was still sitting in it with a chick and Banner. Turning my car off in a slight rage, I got out, nearly slamming my car door. Banner seemed to notice my rage, making his way over to me; he knew all about being mad.

"You shouldn't frown so much, you'll get wrinkles," he smirked.

I couldn't help but laugh at his attempt of getting me out of my rage. I could see Tony trying to get my attention but I just ignored him, getting us a table/grill to sit at. I hooked my bag around a chair, sitting in it, Banner sitting next to me," you're hungry."

"Yeah I am. I wouldn't be so moody otherwise," I gave a small smile.

"You should eat more with your condition you know, you could get even sicker."

"I just can't stay in one place for long, I have to keep doing something or I'll go crazy. I just… forget to eat during those times," I ducked my head slightly like I was about to be scolded like a puppy that had chewed on the furniture. Though there was no scold, just a head shake.

Tony sat down with his lady friend, looking over the menu like he was going to order something new but I knew he was going to order the same thing he always did. We placed our orders, soon after we just sat in silence, or more like Bruce and I sat in silence; Tony and his girl talked away, laughing at ridiculous things. Bruce balled his straw wrapper up, tossing it back onto the table when he was done. I knocked my elbow onto the table, resting my chin in my hand, my blonde hair cascading down my arm," I do believe I owe you a talk."

"I believe you do," Bruce said, mimicking my actions and resting his chin on his hand.

"Well, I was born in Ontario, Canada. I'm 24. I graduated from Washington State with a major in psychology. I originally worked for Pepper when she took over Tony's company after Natasha resigned but Pepper decided to leave the company and give it back over to Tony, so I was bumped to being Tony's assistant. I was diagnosed with brittle type one diabetes; my blood sugar is always very low," I began to say, Bruce looking pretty intense.

"Am I boring you?" I chuckled, my face getting a bit steamy.

"Not at all, you're very interesting."

My cheeks stayed hot as I kept going on about myself, talking about how my mother and father were still in Ontario. I was part French and the other part was German. My hair is a dark blonde naturally but I dyed it a little lighter.

The food was finally done by the time I had finished talking about myself. Bruce seemed a bit intrigued and into the talk. He didn't seem like the talking kind of person, he was more like the listener and helper; he could help others out but not himself. I picked my chopsticks up and began to mix the fried rice and chicken together, making sure to coat the fried rice with the sauce the chicken was covered with. Bruce seemed to pick at his food first before actually eating it. I wanted to ask why he did that but I felt that he would get too awkward if I did.

Tony turned to me after he was done talking to his little lady friend, still chewing on his share of fried rice and pork," so, do you have your things packed for France?"

I nearly choked when he asked me this," what exactly do you mean Tony?"

"Damn, I thought I told you. You were supposed to be packed by today; we're leaving in three hours so we can go to France on a business trip."

"How do you expect- How do you expect me to pack for two weeks in just three hours?" I yelled, jumping up from my seat," I need to go home."

I grabbed my bag and raced out of the restaurant, getting into my car and starting it. I saw Bruce come out and stop outside my window," I can help you if you need it; I'm already packed."

I unlocked the car, motioning for Bruce to get in but Tony came out just in time to tell him that he needed something from Bruce before the trip. I grumbled and sped off; ignoring the phone calls I got from Tony. I didn't even have anyone to look after my boys.

I made it to my house with just two and a half hours to spare in packing time and finding a pet sitter for my cats. Bart and Mac raced around the penthouse with me as I shoved articles and articles of clothing into my suitcases. I wanted to just punch Tony in the face so bad. I pillaged through my toiletries and put them into a bag, mumbling and cursing to myself.

"Mac, stop chewing on Bart's ear!" I yelled countless times to Mac, who seemed to enjoy Bart's ear a bit too much at the moment.

I heard a knock on my door, causing me to go ballistic and try to hop over the piles of clothes I had strewn about my room in order to get down the spiraled stairs. I opened the door, being greeted by my neighbor's young daughter whom loved to play with Mac and Bart.

"Oh hi there Candace, what brings you here?" I smiled at the 8 year old.

"I was wondering if I could play with the cats," Candace smiled, her blue eyes sparkling.

"Tell you what; you can play with them all you want if you can do me a big favor."

"Sure!" She smiled.

"I'm going away on a business trip for two weeks and I don't have anyone else to look after the boys. Do you think you could look after them for me? Feed them, love them and all that?"

"That would be so awesome!"

"Awesome! I will leave a spare key under the doormat so you can come over anytime you want," I smiled at her, waving her off so she could tell her parents.

Candace was truly a sweet girl, I had first met her when she knocked on my door, selling Girl Scout cookies; she was just 6. Candace's parents weren't around much, so I would keep her company. She was really the sweetest girl I had ever met and it upset me deeply that her parents were barely around to give her the affection a young child needed due to their jobs.

I looked at the time on my phone, mentally cursing when there were only thirty minutes left until I had to leave. I raced back up the stairs and carried my bags down the stairs, noticing that my front door was open. I looked around and noticed Tony and Bruce sitting at my dining room table.

"Are you done slowpoke?" Tony asked, reclining in the chair lazily.

"Feed my cats and I'm ready to go," I glared at the lazy man.

Bruce snickered quietly as Tony did what I said without any protest, his hand brushing against the big Persian cat. I really hated leaving my boys alone for too long; they were going to hate me after this vacation. Once Tony did the deed I asked him to do, we set out to get on the private plane he had gotten for the trip. Apparently all of the Avengers were going to be going on the trip to France.


	4. Chapter 4

**_I finally had some inspiration to write this chapter. I have the plot all set out but it's the filler that's killing me to get to the good parts. I'm very happy that I have so many people enjoying this story. I'm always excited to see new emails on my iPhone, telling me that people have followed and favorited and whatnot on my story. It really does keep a writer going! I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. _**

Chapter Four

The one thing I hated most in my hectic life with Tony was the fact that I flew everywhere, sitting on a plane for hours on end, bored as hell. The server had given everyone coffee and tea while I asked for the most sugary drink they had, which was a Shirley Temple. I tore off pieces of the straw wrapper, balling them up and sticking them into my mouth to wet them up for a good spitball. I aimed my first spitball at Tony's forehead, getting it spot on, causing him to glare at me and throw the wet ball back at me. The flight to France was the most boring trip ever, though I had to admit, it wasn't as bad as some of the other flights I had been on.

I was extremely bored as I sipped on my sweet drink, my legs brought to my chest almost like a child's way of sitting in a chair," can't you sit still for two seconds?" Tony sighed, obviously annoyed." It's like you're a child."

"Just go to sleep Starky."

"Dammit, stop calling me that."

"Nope," I grinned.

Looking over at Bruce, I took notice that he was asleep while everyone else sat in their seats quietly, letting sleep overtake them as well. Natasha sat beside me, her chin resting in her hand, a blanket covering her as she sat reclined in the comfortable chair. Steve and Thor 'manned' it out and reclined in their seats, their heads tossed back. Clint was the only one wide awake, looking at his blackberry with an intense glare. Bruce was reclined, his head lolled to the side with his arms crossed, his glasses sitting on the top of his head. Tony was laid back with a blanket covering everywhere, even his face.

The small insulin pump on my waist beeped and vibrated, telling me that I should test my blood sugar soon. I leaned over and searched through my bag, picking up my testing kit. I unzipped it and took my electric lancet out, twisting the timer so I could prick my finger when it was done. Putting a new test strip into the testing meter, I accidentally dropped my lancet, the timer clicking and the metal point poking out.

I unhooked my seatbelt and went to the lancet that had dropped. A large tanned hand picked the lancet up and holding it out for me to take it. I looked up and noticed Bruce, holding out my lancet with a small grin.

"Butterfingers," he teased.

"Four eyes," I teased back, laughing.

"Here, let me help you out," Bruce said, taking my hand after I had sat down on the plane's floor.

I looked down at what Bruce was doing, taking the lancet and twisting the timer, putting the small device to my hand, the small point digging into my skin. A small bead of blood formed on my fingertip, Bruce putting the strip up to the blood, catching it into the test.

"It's hard having this disease sometimes," I sighed, the test beeping.

"When were you diagnosed?"

"When I was sixteen; I had to quit ballet because of it."

"You were exhausted weren't you?"

"I was," I sighed, smiling slightly.

"What performances did you get to do?"

"I was Odette in Swan Lake and I did Cinderella. I wanted to become Prima so bad but I couldn't with my condition."

"You must have been that good," Bruce grinned.

"Everyone thought I was the best; they even thought about sending me to Russia. I always thought that I was in need of more practice," I chuckled, making a goofy face at the older man.

Sitting in silence for a few minutes, I looked at the meter still in Bruce's hand. He looked at it after he noticed it was still in his hand," you're free to live another day."

I gave Bruce a sad and distressed face," that isn't funny," I cried, Bruce opening his mouth to apologize. "I'm just kidding!" I laughed, pushing him playfully.

"Damn, I was actually scared for a second," he laughed, sighing in relief.

"It's fine, I joke like this all of the time; you can sort of say I've never really grown up. And you know, I could have sworn that before I went to test, you were asleep in your seat," I raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"Well… Ah."

"You weren't really asleep," my grin got bigger.

"I'm kind of afraid of heights, so I figured if I just closed my eyes, then I could easily just relax and get over it."

I smiled at what Bruce had said; it wasn't every day you heard a forty two year old confess his fear of heights. Bruce seemed to be growing on me a bit, he was teasing and joking with me and even going as far as to make fun of Tony at times.

I heard the plane's PA system beep, the captain informing us that we were to land soon. Bruce and I sat back in our seats, buckling up so we would be safe as the plane would land. The landing was a bit bumpy and uncomfortable but we had finally made it to France. Now what we were going to be doing in France was beyond me. I stared out of the window, Natasha finally waking up and stretching her cramped limbs out. Tony threw his blanket off of him and got up; making his way to the stairs that descended the plane after landing.

Everyone went down the stairs that descended out of the plane, grabbing the luggage from the rolling cart. I carried my tote with my rolling suitcases behind me, following Tony to the limo he had called for before we all landed. Bruce walked next to me, shooting me a look every now and then. My heart swelled and my face became hot, a small flutter in my stomach making itself present as well. I shrugged it off and kept following Tony until we were at the front entrance where the limo had been parked. The chauffeur of the limo took our bags and put them all in the trunk as we all climbed into the long car, settling in. It was close to eleven o'clock in Paris when we got to the large and glamorous hotel Tony had booked us in. Stark had gotten us three penthouse suites; two for the men and one for the women, which was few, just Natasha and I.

Natasha and I set off to our suite after we had been handed our cards. The bellhop had already taken our luggage up to our rooms so there was no need for us to carry large bags up nearly twenty floors even though there was an elevator. Natasha used the key card for the door, opening it only to be greeted by a familiar face.

"Hey girls," Pepper stood up from the white couch, my eyes wide.

"Pepper, why are…" Natasha began.

"I'm here for Tony and the parties he's holding here in France for his company."

"But you're not a part of his company anymore; you resigned every position he offered you," Natasha said, her eyes wandering over to me.

"He decided that I was the best to help him out with the planning."

Thanks Tony, it seems like I wasn't good enough to help out.

I began to walk to where my bags had been laid by the bellhop, Pepper following me a small distance before saying," I hear you're Tony's new secretary; it's very nice to meet you."

"Yeah I am. My name is Ronan Terrance," I smiled, bending down to unzip my blue and black suitcase to get clothes for after I showered.

"Ronan seems like such a boy's name," Pepper added.

"Well, it is, but I think it could be a unisex name being that it means 'little seal'."

Pepper seemed to shut her mouth after I had said what I needed to say about my name. She was coming off as a little annoying to me and Natasha seemed to be tolerant of her. Pepper was probably a little jealous that I was close to Tony and not her. I sighed and suddenly just felt the need to skip a shower and just go to sleep.

Pepper and Natasha decided to talk to each other, though it was slightly awkward because the two had ended their relationship as CEO and secretary pretty sourly because of Pepper's suspicions about Tony and Natasha.

A knock at the door silenced the two talking women, Pepper getting up and answering the door; it was Tony. The two hugged like they had been apart for centuries, though it had only been a few years. Tony and Pepper sat down on the white couches next to each other, motioning for Natasha and I to sit down with them.

Sitting down, I made a sigh of comfort; the couches were more comfortable than I thought.

"So, Natasha and Ronnie, you're going to go on a girl's day out tomorrow to shop for some nice dresses for the parties and whatnot. You're going to get your hair done and your nails done as well; it'll be fun," Tony said, waving his arms spastically.

"Fun…" Natasha and I said together, snickering when we realized it.

"Well, I'll see you guys bright and early tomorrow morning," Pepper smiled, though it was a short one, her face going serious before she turned around, Natasha and I noticing.

Tony followed Pepper back to the hallway outside the suite, leaving Natasha and I alone again, hopefully for the rest of the night. The redhead assassin took her bags to her part of the suite where her bed was, dropping the heavy bags next to her bed. I did the same, though I took out an outfit for tomorrow, soon plopping onto my bed to get some sleep finally. Natasha told me to sleep well as she got ready for a shower, though that was all I could remember before I finally let sleep take over me.

* * *

Morning came sooner than I thought, though that was probably because I kept waking up because of the major time difference and I wasn't quite used to the five hour gap inbetween the US and France. I grumbled, rolling over on the bed, the sheets wrapping around my stomach. Natasha was acting the same as I was; her eyes still plastered shut as she rolled around on her bed sleepily.

Finally mustering enough courage to get out of the warm bed, I stood up and stretched my arms out, my back cracking loudly. I let out a large breath, picking my laid out clothes up. I got undressed and put a white tanktop on with a button down flannel shirt, and then I slipped on a pair of my old worn out skinny jeans. I tied my hair up in a bun, slipping my sandals on in the process. I wasn't really ready to be going to a party; I haven't really been to any and I definitely didn't have a lot of experience with the extravagant parties Tony held.

Natasha was ready to go by the time the clock had reached seven o'clock in the morning. We set out to meet Pepper in the lobby of the hotel, what we all were to be doing next was beyond me. Pepper didn't seem to like me much, I could tell. She probably wanted to take my place again but I'm sure Tony was smart enough not to do that; Pepper was an ex after all.

Spotting Pepper from a slight distance, Natasha sighed, not wanting to run around with Pepper all day to get treated like a Barbie doll. Pepper hooked her arms between mine and Natasha's, dragging us to a car that was being chauffeured by Happy. Our first stops were the boutiques that adjourned the streets of Paris like the hot dog stands adjourned the streets of New York. I sighed audibly, fighting off a much needed yawn. I was too tired to listen to Pepper's constant barking and yapping. Natasha was noticeably bored by the way her face looked and the way she leaned against the door of the car, her brows knitted together almost like she was getting mad.

"You know Pepper, it's really way too early to be doing ridiculous stuff like this," Natasha broke the ice.

"Well you need to look nice if you're going to be attending Tony's parties. You are a part of his team and he wants to show some hospitality," Pepper tried to dig up.

"We appreciate that Tony wants us ready for these parties but we could have gone a little later, I mean we just got off of a plane a few hours ago," Natasha began to get moody. "Not only that, but we could have eaten first as well."

I wanted to scream 'hallelujah" at the top of my lungs when Natasha said that to Pepper, but that would be too rude; or not. Natasha began to rant on and on, something she didn't normally do, Pepper was in the tightest spot she could ever be in while the red assassin blew steam. I just couldn't help but smile the whole time though, enjoying ever moment Natasha had given me the pleasure of listening to.

Natasha had been moody all morning while we travelled the streets of Paris on foot, complaining that she looked fat in the dresses she tried on, sighing when she couldn't pick between dresses, or getting mad when they didn't have a nice dress in her size. Something just seemed totally wrong with Natasha. PMS surely wasn't this bad, was it?

I had gotten myself a nice formal sweetheart cut dress that was black with white lace around the stomach where it could be tied into a bow; the dress coming a little bit down passed my knees. Pepper said the dress looked to gothic and Lolita, complaining that I should get something different that didn't show off too much leg. I brushed her comments over though, getting myself a nice rose red dress with a missing back and drawstrings that tied around the neck, lace tracing right under the breasts; it almost looked like something someone would dance flamenco in.

Tired and ready to just relax, Natasha and I decided to call it a day with dress shopping after we had gotten over four of them with matching jewelry and shoes to match. The nail appointment Pepper had set us up with also came with a back massage. Making our way to the nail salon, Natasha's face became very flushed, almost like she was about to be sick, though she was assuring me that she wasn't going to be and that it would just wash over.

Once we got to sit down in the salon, Natasha asked if there was a bathroom she could retreat to so she could empty her stomach. The redhead moved quickly to the bathroom, her face covered with a sheet of sweat, her skin looking almost ashen. Pepper was asking me if she was sick but I just shrugged and said to her that I wasn't sure. I took out my phone so I could locate a drugstore nearby so I could possibly pick Natasha something up for her sudden sickness. In luck, I spotted a pharmacy right across the street. I excused myself from the salon since it wasn't exactly my time to have my nails done and made my way to where the store was.

Entering the store, I looked around, passing by the stomach pills so I could get her something to soothe her with and then by the small refrigerator to get her a ginger ale. Looking around again, I spotted the women's health section where there were many feminine products splayed about. I looked at the small boxes that said 'pregnancy tests' and picked a box up that contained four of the small tests. I was hoping it wasn't something like pregnancy doing this to her because she was an assassin that was always on duty. I was honestly pretty scared for her at the moment.

I went back to the salon after I had purchased the things needed for Natasha, only to spot that Pepper had left. Natasha was sitting in a salon chair getting her nails done with a nice French manicure; her face was still an ashen like color. I bit my lip and sat in the spot next to her where I was to get my nails done.

"I got you something for your stomach and a ginger ale but do you think I could ask you something personal?" I asked in a soothing tone, careful as to not make her mad or upset.

"Sure, I don't mind," she let out a sigh.

"Did you miss your period at all?" I bit my lip again, waiting for her answer.

"I'm a few days late but it's nothing," she said in an almost hushed tone.

"Define a few days," I made a face.

"About a few weeks."

I sat there, heaving a sigh as I got the ginger ale out of the plastic grocery bag. I opened it and gave it to her. She smiled slightly and took a drink, closing it when she was done for the time being.

"I bought some tests if you want to take them to make sure later. "

"Thank you Ronnie," she gave a small yet sincere smile.

* * *

Once our appointments were fulfilled, we made our way to the hair salon where Pepper had met us with deli sandwiches. My meter had been beeping for some time, pumping insulin into my body and indicating that it was time to test. After I took the test, I was giving the clean bill of health for the time being while I ate my sandwich. Natasha wasn't feeling too hot when she tried to eat so she had just stopped overall, afraid that she might upset her stomach again.

Pepper told the hair stylists to cut about an inch off of my waist long hair and give it more body as well as trimming my bangs a little bit. The stylist went to work immediately on my hair, his hands moving fast so he could get to the real deal; the styling. A few compliments later as well as strands and locks of hair, the time to put it into an updo was nearing. The stylist pulled my hair up into a tight ponytail, taking a curling iron to it to curl the ends, my bangs side sweeping against my forehead and face. The man topped my hair-do off with hair spray and jeweled bobby pins.

Pepper complimented my look more than Natasha's but I liked Natasha's hairstyle a lot more than mine. Natasha's hair was pulled back into a half up, half down hairstyle, curls falling down her back while her side swept bangs covered her forehead.

* * *

The girl's day out had ended right when the clock struck two o'clock pm. The redhead complained that she could go for a nap before it was time to get ready for the party. I smirked and said that I was right there behind her with that idea. Natasha had mentioned to me that she wanted to take the tests as well just to make sure that she wasn't pregnant. She wasn't too sure on having a baby just yet with her career.

We both made our way up to the suite we were going to occupy for the next two weeks, frantically wanting to see if Natasha was really pregnant. Sitting on the large bathroom counter in the equally as large bathroom, I waited for Natasha to come out of the separated room where the toilet was. The red assassin came out of the private toilet room, setting the white pregnancy test on the counter next to me.

Three minutes.

I kept my eyes on the test, spotting the littlest changes in the signs that were on the screen of the small test. I looked at the instructions, scanning over which was positive and which wasn't. I looked back at the test and my face fell instantly. A pink plus sign meant pregnant and that's what was showing up on the screen of the test. Natasha's face was emotionless as she looked at the test, almost like she was in shock.

"Natasha, what are you going to do?" I asked, placing my hand on hers.

"I need to tell the father," she began," to see if he wants to take responsibility because I don't think I could give this baby up."

I smiled at her decision, pulling her into a hug to comfort her a little bit, even though she wasn't the touchy kind of person, though surprisingly she hugged me back. Once she got out of the hug, she told me that she had to tell the father of the baby right away to see what he though. I was confused on why she left the suite without her phone though. I shrugged and decided that it was time for a nap before the real fun started.


	5. Chapter 5

**_I'm so sorry this took so absolutely long, I blame some writer's block and my mom at times for dragging me away from writing. I hope you guys aren't mad at me; I tried my best. /Sweatdrops/ I hope you guys enjoy this, I'll have the next chapter up soon because this chapter ties into the next one and is still during the party. _  
**

**Chapter Five**

I was woken up by harsh shoving coming from Pepper, whom was complaining that she was trying to wake me up for almost twenty minutes," you messed your hair up, it looks terrible," Pepper sighed, crossing her arms.

"I can fix it, calm down," I mumbled, sitting up from the bed.

"Well you better hurry yourself up, the party starts in a few hours."

I rolled my eyes slightly and got up, my ponytail feeling a lot looser since my nap. I yawned loudly, pulling stray pieces of hair back into the ponytail and fixing my bangs. It had been a while since I've had my hair cut and styled; it really wasn't my thing if I really thought about it. I was into the Indie and hipster styles and I cared about the environment. I didn't really like dressing like a million bucks like Tony and Pepper wanted me to.

Natasha was fixing her hair in the large mirror plastered on the bathroom wall, her red curls flat and less bouncy from her nap I was guessing. She seemed to be in a better state of mind after she had told the father of her baby, whom I still didn't know about," so how are you feeling?" I asked, twisting the curls in my ponytail with my fingers.

"I'm feeling a lot better. I told Clint."

"Wait, so Clint is the father?" I asked, pretty flabbergasted at what she had said.

"Yes, we had been dating for some time now but there was this fight we had one night and things… You know," her face turned a pink color.

"No need to go on," I laughed, nudging her in the arm.

She smiled and continued to work on her hair, trying her best to give it more volume and bounce and I did the same with mine, trying to give it the curls it once had. I coughed when Natasha used the hairspray to keep her hair in the style for a longer period of time," isn't that bad for expecting mothers?" I questioned.

"I'm not sure actually," she said lowly, putting the spray can back down on the bathroom counter.

"It seems like we'll have to get you some mommy books when we get back to the States," I smiled, tightening the hair tie in my hair.

"Thank you for helping me through this, it means a lot," She smiled.

"It's not a problem, you're my friend. Besides, I think it would be nice to be around a baby, being that I might not be having one in my lifetime," my smile faded and my heart swelled with a slight sorrow.

"Is it because of your diabetes?" She asked, her face falling as well.

"Yeah, they say it could be deadly to me and the baby if I were to have one. My sugar levels would go insane and I could go into shock or a coma."

"That's terrible; I'm so sorry Ronnie."

"It's alright; I've learned to just let it go," I gave her an assuring smiled.

Natasha gave a sigh, smiling back at me," well, you can at least have someone to call a boyfriend or husband."

"What are you getting at?" I eyed her, smirking.

"Well, there's Bruce."

"Bruce?"

"I see the way you two act; it's cute. Maybe you should get closer?"

I couldn't help but laugh at what Natasha was saying about Bruce and I. Tony definitely wouldn't like that much; he tried to get between Bruce and I talking all of the time; though I knew that Natasha was serious about Bruce and wanted me to get closer no matter what Tony did.

I began to put on my makeup, brushing the pale powder foundation onto my face gently, some of my freckles being covered up. I took the cap off of my liquid eyeliner pen, winging my eyeliner out on my eyes, topping the makeup off with mascara. Natasha did her makeup almost like a pinup model; heavy makeup and plump lip glossed lips. I tracked back to my room in the suite, opening the glass doors and sitting on my bed, wondering which dress I should wear tonight for the first party. My eyes caught a glimpse of one of the dresses Pepper had told me to get. It was a violet dress that went a little passed my knees. It had no sleeves and had an almost sweetheart-like cut to it.

I decided to wear the violet dress, slipping it on by my legs so I wouldn't mess my hair up. Natasha spotted me and her mouth formed an 'O'. I studied her face, not knowing why she was making it.

"Do I look bad?" I asked, a hint of a whine in my voice.

"Not at all, it's the complete opposite of bad; you look amazing."

I felt my face turn red hot, not knowing of how to react to what she said, instead I just gave off a nervous and shaky laugh. An awkward hipster going to a fancy and formal party; it wasn't something you saw very often. As soon as I got my matching heels on, Natasha and I made our way to the lobby where everyone else was supposed to wait so we could all carpool; or limopool. Pepper made a strange noise, something like a gasp and a squeak when she noticed Natasha and I. I just stared at the strawberry blonde woman as she jumped and made a scene.

"You two look amazing," Pepper squealed higher than a piglet.

"Thanks," Natasha and I said together unknowingly.

I could hear Tony's voice behind me, his voice getting nearer. I turned around and Tony nearly stopped in his tracks, staring at me," this is a first, Hippie."

"Don't call me a Hippie, my lifestyle isn't that extreme."

I could see Bruce from a distance, trying to fix his tie though it wasn't exactly cooperating with him. After a few more tries in tying the purple silk tie, he gave up, throwing his hands down in defeat. I laughed and made my way over to the older man, taking his tie in my hands and tying it gently so I wouldn't choke him out of my clumsiness.

"You seem too good at that," Bruce teased, flattening the purple tie out against his abdomen.

"I'm used to it because of Tony," I laughed, hitting him playfully in the chest.

Bruce looked me over, a smile seemed to be plastered on his face," you look spectacular. I never knew you liked any shade of purple; it fits you."

"Well, I had to impress Pepper but in the end, I really do like this dress," I laughed, smoothing the purple fabric out against my stomach.

"Pepper seems to want her old job back pretty badly," Bruce noted, his eyes looking over at Pepper.

"I'm not letting her have it back; she left on her own," I made a face.

"Someone's feisty," Bruce laughed.

"Well, I like my job."

Bruce smiled at my sudden feisty-ness, leading me back to the group with his hand on the small of my back. I almost wanted to scowl at Pepper for how she was trying to catch Tony's attention with everything she could. Natasha took notice and rolled her eyes toward Pepper, not liking the way she was acting either.

The group decided to make their ways to the limo to get to the site of the party Tony was hosting. Bruce let me get in first so that if I were to fall back, he could catch my clumsy white ass. Natasha and Clint sat next to each other, Clint's mouth formed into an almost permanent smile whenever he looked at the mother of his child. No matter how emotionless Natasha was on the outside, she had many emotions on the inside to make up for it and she thought that no one would ever notice it. Natasha was one of the few closely knitted friends I had, next to my childhood friends Emily and Sebastian and another friend I met when I went off to college, her name was Jenna. Though I hadn't known Natasha for long, I feel like I can trust her more than I could with other people.

Once we made it to the large building the party was being held in, we all got out of the limo, looking up at the tall buildings surrounding us. Many people wondered if the cities were alike in different countries, they really were, though people thought differently because it was somewhere different than what they were used to.

Tony was at the head of the group, leading us into the lobby of the hotel, checking in for the party in the presidential ballroom. I stood by Tony, his hand on the small of my back as he led everyone to the party. He had a smug grin on his face as he reached the large doors where two security guards stood," Tony Stark, this is my crew and this is my party," Tony said, looking over the sunglasses he was wearing, though it was well over dark outside.

"Well aren't you the cool one?" I snickered as Tony linked his arm into mine, escorting me into the party, the music was loud and everyone was dancing.

"Hey, I am cool," Tony pushed me slightly, the smug grin still on his face as I stumbled a bit in my tall heels.

"Maybe to your followers, but not to me," I smirked, pinching his stubbled cheek.

"Why must you pinch my cheeks? I'm not four, I'm forty."

"And I'm twenty four, not two, Starky," I smiled, making a point.

"Stop calling me that- and hey, I treat you like a woman," Tony looked over at me, a look of hurt on his face, though it was obviously fake.

I made a face, my eyes narrowed a bit," right, recall that moment on the plane where you compared me to a child."

"Oh."

"Exactly."

Entering the dance floor with Tony with his arm still holding mine, he waved to his fellow partygoers, earning a booming applause as they made a circle around he and I, the group of Avengers were nowhere to be found. Tony had planned this all along, having me linked to him by my arm. I hated crowds and I was definitely not being escorted by Tony; he had Pepper. Once Tony was done greeting his crowd, we made our way to the table that the Avengers were sitting at.

"Don't ever do that to me again, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!" I smacked Tony in the chest.

"Well, you're my little secretary and you're breath of fresh air to these people; they're so used to seeing Pepper on my arm."

I kept silent after what Tony had said. I didn't know if I should take that as a compliment or not. I could feel Pepper burning holes into the back of my head as Tony whispered in my ear to tell me that he was going to talk to some important people. I nodded to him and looked over the table, noticing that Natasha and Clint were on the dance floor. Bruce and Thor were parked at the table, Steve was… Somewhere.

Pepper stayed glued to Tony, going wherever he would inside the ballroom. I decided to sit at the table, staring out into the dance floor, watching Natasha and Clint dance. I could hear Tony talking over the music, his voice loud and carrying.

"Would you like to dance?" I heard a voice behind me.

I turned and saw Steve, looking very handsome in his tuxedo and red silk tie," sure," I smiled, taking his hand.

Steve led me to the dance floor, his hand gently holding mine. He turned me to face him in a fluid manner, his one hand on the small of my back while another was holding mine in the air. I smiled softly, a blush creeping onto his face," just relax, I won't bite," I chuckled, moving with Steve slowly.

"You don't have much experience with a girl, do you?" I looked up at the Captain with a smile.

"Is it that noticeable?" He laughed nervously," I've been told this before, but I was thinking that I was getting a little better with it."

"No, it's not as noticeable from far away, but it's alright, not everybody is a lady killer," I laughed, my cheeks beginning to hurt.

The song was nearing its end when Tony came up and took me away from Steve, replacing the large and strong hands with tan and warm ones. Tony looked quite handsome tonight; he was in a white tuxedo with a red tie, his hair parted perfectly and gelled for the long night.

"You look very beautiful tonight," Tony looked me up and down.

"Well, you look very handsome yourself," I poked his chest. "Are you sure Pepper won't mind you dancing with me?"

"We've been done for a long time; as co-workers and as a couple," Tony made clear. "She just can't stay away from me."

"Well I can see why; you're just a very handsome guy," I smirked as Tony twirled me, grabbing my waist as I came back to him, our pelvises colliding together.

"Oh please, tell me more," Tony dipped me low, bringing me back up slowly, a smirk on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Hello everyone! First off, I really would like to apologize for the freakishly long wait. I became so busy over the last few weeks of summer and now school started back up again, which I'm not happy about at all. I honestly just got enough time to write this chapter and post it up for you guys to keep you in less suspense. But I do warn you, this chapter has the worst cliffhanger you could ever imagine. I'm so sorry! Dx But nonetheless, I hope you guys aren't too frustrated with me. Enjoy the chapter! 3 _  
**

**Chapter Six**

It had become later in the evening when Tony and I had stopped dancing together. He was complaining that his legs were hurting when mine were just getting started; he was getting older, yet he still kept his handsome and young-like features. It made me almost laugh audibly on how I was calling my own boss "handsome" and "young".

Sipping on a glass of champagne, I hummed to myself, the music covering it though. I wasn't much of a drinker and I wasn't entirely sure on how I could hold it down. Either way, Tony would notice and make sure I wouldn't drink any more than I should. Alcohol had too much sugar and carbs, it would probably make me very sick if I were to consume more than the fair share. I could feel eyes on me as I held the crystal glass against my lips softly. I let my eyes wander until I saw Tony staring straight at me with that disappointed face. I stuck my tongue out at him and drank the rest of the sweet liquid.

Not a good idea though.

Tony began to make his way toward me, his brows furrowed slightly and a small frown making an appearance as well. He took my arm and brought me closer to him, his mouth discreetly near my ear," you sure as hell know better than to do this, kid," Tony grumbled; I could feel his eyes rolling.

"I'm not a kid, Tony. I'm 24," I scoffed.

"Well, maybe I worry about your health," the older man spoke with his teeth clenched tightly.

"It must be so fun not having to worry about your health, huh?" I set the glass on the table next to me.

"That's not it at all; you mean more to me than you think," Tony said, an almost sincere look appearing on his face.

"Tony, if you think I'm drunk, then you should probably reevaluate where you stand as well," I snickered.

"Maybe you should sit down somewhere. Better yet, you could go back to the hotel and sleep," he nearly snapped.

"No."

"Come on-!"

"No," I said quickly, cutting him off.

Crossing my arms, I looked around, noticing Pepper giving me a warning glance. Her eyes screamed and pleaded at me almost like she though I was going to marry and take Tony where I stood. I scoffed slightly, turning back to Tony who was sipping a glass of wine. I slapped his arm and gave him the meanest look I could muster on my face," if I can't drink, then neither can you," I growled and took the glass from him, setting it on the table next to us.

"Stop getting your virginal white panties in a knot," Tony almost whined.

My eyes widened at his comment," not all of my underwear are white," I wanted to hit him so bad.

"Sure Ronnie."

"Shut up, leave me alone," I grumbled.

"Dramatic much?"

"No, that's Pepper."

Walking away from Tony, I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable in this short dress. I could hear Tony yelling my name from the distance, though I completely ignored him and tried to drown him out. Tony made me so angry to where if he was even looking at me, I would charge at him and punch him in the face. I made my way to the bar counter at the corner of the ballroom; I might as well give Bruce some company… He looked kind of lonely.

"You look lonely… and extremely bored," I smiled, resting my arm on the counter, my chin resting on my propped fist.

"I'm not one for parties. The other guy doesn't let me drink," Bruce said with a sigh.

"I would have felt very bad about ordering drinks if I didn't know that," I scratched my head. "So you can't drink at all?"

"Oh, it's completely fine," he laughed. "Sadly, no. I have a tolerance for alcohol but the other guy doesn't."

"I can almost understand that completely; Tony keeps taking my drinks away. I know I'm a diabetic and I love to drink when I can get the chance, which is never, but I'm sure as hell not going to be an alcoholic. My uncle was subdued to the title and had to get surgery on his liver," Bruce seemed to smile slightly at my rambling.

"I noticed that Tony does that to you. He just worries about you; you're his assistant after all," Bruce laughed, picking up his glass of what looked like cranberry juice and taking a sip.

"Sometimes he feels like my dad. My dad wouldn't let me do too many things without him telling me my limit."

"He does tend to lean toward that status of father figure a lot," Bruce leaned back in his chair and placed his chin in-between his thumb and index finger. My cheeks began to burn slightly at his laid back gesture.

Talking to Bruce had lightened my mood extremely; his intelligent speech made me laugh no matter how much he wanted to try and correct it and make it seem more normal. He told me a bit more about his past and how much his mother would treat him so kindly. Bruce loved going to the zoo, though he hadn't been to one in years. Maybe I can treat him to a zoo visit when we got back to the states.

"You know, it's not too late; let's take a walk around the lovely Paris streets," I said excitedly, getting up from my chair and grabbing his arms.

"Are you sure the others won't mind?" Bruce asked nervously.

"Who said they have to know?"

"Touché."

Slipping my arm between Bruce's, we walked out of the ballroom and made our way to the street, the cool are nipping at my bare arms and legs. I shivered but it felt nice to be out of that blazing room. I looked up from where I was standing; a dark outline of the Eiffel Tower with lights surrounding it adorned my view. Paris truly was a marvelous place. The two of us decided to go around the city until the others came to get us, which it would probably take a few hours for them to notice that we were gone.

Holding onto Bruce's arm made me feel safe and protected from everything. He was strong and sturdy but he was still gentle, though he was slightly tense. I was silently praying that my feet wouldn't hurt from all of this walking and so far, they were doing well. Maybe Pepper was right; spending $200 on heels that you never have to break in is always a good investment. Too bad I only wore heels on occasion. Other times, I would sport Vans, Converse or my black Doc Martens. I wasn't your normal kind of assistant.

My mind was elsewhere at the moment but I felt Bruce suddenly jump, my thoughts being disturbed. I looked up at him; his eyes were searching for something.

"Are you okay?" I clutch onto his arm tighter.

"Are you telling me that you didn't just hear that explosion?" His eyebrow rose.

"What do you mean-," I began to hear multiple explosions all at once, my throat burning from the scream I let out so harshly.

Bruce held onto me tightly, his arms around my shoulders as he turned my face away from the flying debris and ash. I felt him go almost stiff as his body began to tremble with his transformation. His clothes ripped from off of his body like they were sheets of paper. His skin was changing it's hue from olive to the sickly green known as the other guy; The Hulk.

I backed away; scared if Bruce had lost complete control over the behemoth he had turned in to. My heels dug into the loose gravel and cracked cement, causing me to fall over and scrape my thigh and knee. I winced, trying my best to scoot back on bottom, blood cascading down my leg from my fall. Bruce took off angrily, charging at the men coming down from the helicopters and jets. Mechanical noises filled my ears and explosions went off. My adrenaline was pumping but I couldn't find the strength to stand on my own feet; I was terrified.

I finally mustered the strength to get up, the heels I was wearing being kicked off as I quickly got away from the scene. I needed to find Tony and the other Avengers. My light blonde hair came loose from its nice style, flowing down my shoulders and back. I could hear the mechanical footsteps from the robots follow after me, thinking that I was an Avenger and a threat. No matter how much my feet were bleeding and hurting, no matter how much my scrapes and burns hurt, I had to keep going.

I hid behind a car quickly, thinking that I was safe for the time being. Trying to catch my breath, I could feel my heart pound mercilessly and a hot sweat forming all over my body. I looked around once I managed my breathing, taking off as fast as I could when I thought the coast was clear. However, no matter how much I wanted to believe nothing was following me, I was so wrong. I had three of the large robots following behind me as well as a group of men in black, sleek uniforms with helmets and guns.

"Tony!" I yelled out as loud as I could as I neared the ballroom.

I felt a heavy object collide into my back, causing me to fall over onto my knees, banging them up pretty badly. Not being able to get up, I felt like I had completely shut down and surrendered my life to the enemy. My eyes welled with tears I thought I would never have to cry again; my life was coming to an end and the only thing I could even think about was Bruce's safety. What was wrong with me?

Screaming filled my ears as people noticed the large group of robots and soldiers around me, people pleaded to them to let me go but their words would fall on deaf ears. My body was weak and it needed to be nourished fast but no, I couldn't let them see that I was weak. The ground trembled under me as a green flash raced passed my view, knocking all of the soldiers and robots away from me. My eyes widened as I saw Bruce pick these people up and throw them across the street, knocking them into lampposts and buildings.

Getting up, I tried to make a mad dash for the ballroom that was just within my reach, but my head was stinging and it felt like there was a warm liquid trailing down my head. I reached my head over to touch the tender and stinging spot on the back of my head, retracting it back so I could look at my hand.

Blood.

I could feel my stomach twist and churn uneasily as I fought the urge to wretch onto the ground. I looked around dizzily, noticing a large glass shield on the floor with a crack in it and a crazy amount blood. A soldier hit me with it. My vision blurred as I called for Tony and the others one last time before I fell into unconsciousness. I fell to the ground after my knees buckled. I held myself up with my elbows propped on the ground, blood dripping onto the floor as I tried my best to stay conscious. People stood around me, too shocked to even move, afraid they would just hurt me more. My brain screamed at me to just close my eyes but my mind kept telling me that if I stayed awake, I would be able to see if Bruce was okay.

"Ronnie!" I could hear multiple voices call after me in my delirious state.

"I'm okay," I said, slurring tremendously.

"Oh my God," I could hear Natasha's fearful voice as she fell to the floor and held my head up.

"Someone call an ambulance!" I heard Tony yell; I could almost imagine Pepper clinging to his side.

"Ronnie, we're here, we're not leaving you," Natasha said, a sob coming from her throat. That was so strange, she never cried. She barely showed emotion, ever.

I could feel my eyes give into the sleep my brain so desperately wanted, giving me no time to explain what happened. Instead, the voices became muted, as did the noises of explosions and guns and robotic noises. I needed sleep…


	7. A note from playingwithmischief

Hello everyone! I wanted to severely apologize for this really long hiatus on Misguided Ghosts. I didn't mean for it to be this long, but I do have many good reasons for being away. I am expecting a baby in July with my boyfriend and we have been trying to get everything in our lives together to give our little girl a good life. Moving out of our parents' houses is going to be the hardest thing right now, as we don't have very great relationships with our mothers to begin with. You all have no idea how much I really appreciate the support on my story and I definitely plan on coming back really soon. I've had so much to write about after spending so much time away. I really hope you all aren't mad at me for being away. Your support in this story has been so amazing and I really want to thank you all so much. Stick around for a little bit, I have new chapters to put up really soon.

*Note: I have removed chapter seven for a revamp, it will be right back up soon.

Much love,

playingwithmischief


End file.
